John dem ing beed



(No Model.)

J. D. REED.

BUGGY TOP.

No. 379,493. Patented Mar. 13, 1888.

war a W II II 1m. In W; I

N. PETERS. PnomLnhognpber. Washi c.

UNITED STATES PATENT 'BUGGY-TOP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 379,493, dated March 13, 1888.

Application filed May 14, 1887.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J oHN DEMING REED, of thecity ofJulesburg,in the county ofLogan and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oalash'lop Vehioles; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the inventiomsuch as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

My invention relates to a new improvement in calash-top vehicles.

Heretofore in the socalled calash top or hood of a buggy or other vehicle the top or hood is supported or held in an upright position by means of two braces having elbowjoints, said braces being on opposite sides of the top or hood, each brace being pivoted to the top or hood and to the studs or pins projecting from each side of the seat in such manner as to have an oscillating movement when raising or lowering the top. This has been found objectionable, for the reason that each brace acts independently of the other, also from the fact that thebraces are not easily accessible from the inside when the curtain is down.

The object of my invention is to provide a means or device whereby the calash top of a vehicle may be raised or lowered by an actuating-lever extending along either side of the seat.

My invention consists, first, in a calash-top vehicle having the combination of a transverse brace-connecting shaft journalcd to the rear part of the seat and having braces fixed rigid at each end, with an actuating lever-arm attached thereto in such manner that it may have an oscillating movement in a vertical directionm hereby said shaft is adapted to have a rocking movement imparted thereto and to the braces thereto attached when raising or lowering the top.

My invention further consists in a calashtop vehicle having the combination of a transverse brace connecting rod or bar crankshaped at its ends,which ends or arms are jour- Serial No. 238,270. (No model.)

mated to the seat, having the braces fixed rigid ing lover-arm attached thereto in such manner as to impart rocking movements l 0 said rod or bar and to the braces thereon.

My invention further consists in acalashtop vehicle having the combination, with an actuating-lever adapted to have vertical movement imparted thereto, of a transverse braceeonnecting rod or bar crank-shaped at both ends, which is adjusted to the rear part of the seat and held by arms secured to thimbles, which thimbles turn freely on studs or pins projecting from opposite sides of the seat,and having lugs or jaws on the outer ends of the thimbles to engage the braces.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the body and'calash top ofa vehicle with the device attached. Fig. 2 is a side elevation with the top lowered. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the same with the device somewhat modified. Fig. 4 is a detached view of the device shown in Fig. 3, enlarged, so as to more fullyshow its parts. Fig. 5 is a detached view of the same style of attachment shown in Figs. 3 and 4, but having thimbles instead of cranlcpins.

In Fig. 1 the vehicle-seat A A is attached to the bed or body B B, having the top 0 G, with bows a a, b b, c c, d d, which are held in an upright position by the braces D D and E E. The shaft F is arranged transversely along the top rear edge of the seatA A and turns in suitable bearings, e 6, made fast to the sides of the seat. The braces D D are secured to the ends of the shaft F at ff, proj ecting over the sides of the seat A A, and are bows c 0. Each brace has an elbow-joint, (or hinge,) h h, which admits of the braces folding or doubling up, as shownin Fig. 2. A leverarm, G, is secured and fulcrumed to the shaft F at k or k, and extends along the side of the seat for the purpose of imparting movement to said shaft F; When the lever-arm G is raised, the shaft F rotates in its bearings e e, carrying the braces D D to the position shown in Fig. 2, thereby lowering the top. A reverse movement of the lever willraise the top.

Fig. 3 represents a different style of attachment or device which will produce the same pivoted to studs or pins 9 g, projecting from.

on the crank pins or handles, with an actuatresult as described in Fig. 1. A A is a vehi ole-seat on a bed or body, 13 B, having top 0 O, bows a a, Z) Z), c 0, (Z d, and bracesD D and E E; but instead of brace-connecting shaft described in Fig. l a crank-shaped rod or bar, F, Fig. 3, is adjusted to the rear part of the seat A, having longitudinally-curved arms 2' i, which are fulcrumed by means of crank'pins N in journals 6 6, made fast to the sides of the seat, with the actuating lever-arm G attached to one of the arms 2' z"; or the lever-arm may be an extension of one of the arms 1 i. The braces D D are secured to the ends of the crank-pinsl Z. The operation is as follows: Raising the lever arm will operate the con necting-bar F and the crank-pins Z Z and carry the braces thereto attached to the position shown in Fig. 2, whereby the top maybe lowered or raised, as described in Fig. 1. It is obvious that with this style of device the lever-arm is not absolutely necessary, as the top may be lowered by pressing on the connecting-bar at the rear of the seat.

Fig. 4 is a detached view of the crankshaped attachment enlarged, so as to more fully show its parts. F is a transverse bar or rod connecting arms 2' i, curved longitudinally and havin has I Z to which the braces are to 2:! i

G is a leverone of the be attached, as shown in Fig. ar1n,which may be an extension of curved arms i or i.

Fig. 5 is a detached view of a modified form of the crank-shaped device shown in Fig. 4, in which it is not deemed necessary to show the top and body of a vehicle with the device at tached. The ln'ace-connccting rod or bar F is to be adjusted transversely to the rear part of the seat A A, as in Fig. 3, having arms it, curved longitudinally and secured to thimblcs H H, that have lugs or jaws m m and n n on the outer ends thereof to engage the braces h h. The thinibles H H turn freely on the brace-studs made fast to and projecting from the sides of the seat A A, in place of the journal e 6, Figs. 1 and 3. The lever-arm G is secured to either thimble H or H, or may be an extension of one of the arms 27 or i.

The lever-arm G, Figs. 4. and 5, may be bent in any suitable shape, so as to not interfere with the sides of the seat, and may have a a knuckle-joint, O 0, so that a lateral movement may be imparted thereto, and thereby facilitate its use.

, A standard having a lug on the inside or a hook, P, Fig. 1, may be attached to the side of the seat for the purpose of holding down the lever arm, and thereby prevent the top from being thrown back.

From the foregoing it will be seen that my invention does not depend on any particular size or shape of the calash top or body of a vehicle.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, with buggy-top side l braces, of the cranked rod or shaft adapted to be actuated by the application of the hand directly thereto, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with the buggy-top side braces, of the shaft or rod connected to said braces, and provided intermediately of its ends with a crank, which permits of the direct application of the hand of the operator thereto for its manipulation, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with the buggy-top side braces, of the rod or shaft having acrank intermediately of its ends, and a lever, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

4. The combination, with the buggy-top side braces, of the cranked rod or shaft provided with sleeves or thimbles which are provided with studs or projections, between which are received the lower ends of the said braces, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination, with the buggy-top side braces, of the shalt or rod curved or bent upwardly and outwardly, which curved or bent portions are connected together, forming a crank, the outer ends of said shaft or rod connecting with said side braces, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

in testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 27th day of April, A. D. 1886.

JOHN DEMING REED.

. Witnesses:

M. A. GREEN, E. S. FRANKLIN. 

